I'll add my vote to the approval for Dredd. A solid tubthumping account of the lawman and his world, visually striking and almost always finding novelty in the narrow parameters it functions within. Also, perhaps the best use of 3D I've yet seen.

Since then, I caught Premium Rush, and was massively impressed by a film that - like Dredd - could have been a clunker in the wrong hands. Only, it wasn't. It's a sharp and focused thriller centred on a New York cycle courier that's a wonderful piece of kinetic cinema with a subtle portrayal of social and economic realities that's rare in any film, and especially in a genre that's more typically associated with simplistic reactionary views. I wrote more about it here and I'm going to be seeing it again soon.

Took the daughter to go see Finding Nemo 3D, as her sister was just born, and we're trying to set aside a day just for her so she doesn't get jealous.

Finding Nemo is still just as good as when it was first released, and the 3D amazingly doesn't feel tacked on. It's almost as if the film creators thought it might be released in 3D one day and set up some scenes that way. The little floating bits of the ocean, all at different field depths, add a lot to the effect.

Partysaurus Rex was astounding, it really showed off some truly next gen lighting and texture effects.

I saw Dredd 3D last week. I was waiting for Rob Schneider to pop up but sadly, no dice... I'm kidding, of course. Anyway, like many here, I grew up reading 2000AD and it influenced my reading habits to this very day. Infact, I probably wouldn't have found this place without it.

So, to the film: It was visually stunning, undoubtedly, but I was a little disappointed that it had eschewed the futurism for grit. Not a deal-breaker at all, just kinda missed the flying surferboards etc (anyone see the Chopper reference?).... I guess it's the zeitgiest? Karl Urban was great as Dredd considering he had little-to-no character arc to work with (and rightly so), whilst Lena Hedley was utterly, UTTERLY terrifying.

Sadly for me, the film seemed a little bit souless. Considering the source material started off as a kind of "take that" against fascism, the film seemed to lack any kind of message or point... other than being brilliantly gory. Unless I missed it, of course.

All-in-all, mixed feelings from my end (oo-er), but way better than Danny Canon's attempt; I'd still like to see what they'd do with a sequel though.

@ screaming meat - noticed the chopper reference and the "Kenny Who?" reference in the background. I probably missed a whole bunch more. it doesn't look like it did too well this weekend which is a shame. I'd like to see more Dredd movies like this one. maybe with Mean Machine Angel or Judge Death.

Once I saw the Chooper graffiti my Reference Sense started tingling, so I probably missed loads too. It's clear that they loved the source material, but the film as whole just seems to lack any kind of depth... I guess it's not about that.

Hopefully, they'll really nail a sequel, in which case, I'm well up for andycon's trilogy suggestion.

Unfortunately, not a lot of people are going to go see it and it's only made about $6mil total, which I believe includes foreign ticket sales as well, so the likelihood we're going to get more good Dredd, instead of that fantasy some people seem to have where Sly Stallone played Dredd, is probably slim.

Yeah, I was pretty sad that when I went to go see it, on a saturday, the cinema wasn't even a quarter full.

I think one of the big problems may have been a comparison to The Raid, which was the reason for not going to see it for several friends of mine. Plus Dredd just isn't that big in North America (at least not in Canada, where I had to fight with our only book retailers to stock the Complete Case Files books (which for our version is only up to book 5).

DREDD was great, and I enjoyed the 3D. I see Box Office Mojo doesn't list foreign sales so maybe it hasn't opened everywhere yet? Between that and DVD maybe there's hope. I have great affection for movies that are lean and mean. DREDD was both.

I finally STOPPED watching Cabin in the Woods on disc, so I'm up to four times. I need the companion book.

Got a Criterion issue of seven old LIVE tv movies called The Golden Age of Television, which includes Marty, No Time For Sergeants and the only one I've watched so far, Requiem for A Heavyweight. For all my love of Rod Serling, I had never seen this. And it still works. I was totally wrapped up in everybody, and genuinely cared. But then, I've developed the muscles for old movies like I'm sure a lot of other people here have.

I went to a Fathom event of The Birds at my local theater and it was a LOT of fun. Weird shit happening for no reason. No time wasted on explanations, The Birds are just OVER IT, HUMANITY. Lots of effective stuff in it, even if the modern eye sees unsophisticated effects. The jungle gym sequence outside the school (I always called them eagles' nests, ironically) is beautifully planned out to a shot full of dread and portent.

I'd missed Singing in the Rain from Fathom (this is in a Regal Cinema), but I'm on board for Lawrence of Arabia next week, and Frankenstein/Bride Of prior to Halloween. It's been a couple of years for Lawrence for me, and the timing is just right, I think.

@TF - Did you really hate Anna Karenina that much? I thought it interesting, if only on a cinematographic level. I thought quite a few of the performances were very well done - apart from the two young leads, Knightly & Taylor-Wood - and it was certainly not your typical period drama.

I think I may be one of 4 people [the only people in the cinema I saw it in] to watch DREDD in 2D. I saw it here, for reference and for any UK citizens that fancy a journey to one of the few places showing it.

I'll just add that I too liked it and was happy to see one of my favourite comic book artists, Jock, as the principal Concept Designer.

I've also seen Hysteria recently and enjoyed that too - funny, irreverent, and quite British when not being too on the nose with the writing [at the beginning] so thoroughly enjoyable.

Caught 'Looper' today, and it is a reasonably enjoyable popcorn flick. JGL's imitation of Bruce Willis' facial ticks are pretty nifty, the near future world building is quite good. Plot wise? Well in the grand pantheon of Bruce Willis time travel movies, 'Looper' is no 'Twelve Monkeys'. But the movie is still darn good fun; I just don't think I'm likely to revisit it much.

I think I laughed at it to much to say I truly hated it but it was just so so silly that I couldn't go along with it.

The cinematography was lovely but the staging in places just reminded me of a music video (When Jude Law was standing in the theatre in the snow my brain started playing the opening of "Loosing My Religion" - while watching I also came up with "What do Jew's call Jude Law?" - Halakha - I was bored!!!!!)

The editing was off pace, both with the rhythms of many of the individual scenes and narratively: the story didn't effectively balance Anna's story with that of the "good couple"; or the city vs. agricultural life. Whenever the story went to the Good couple they just felt out of place.

I like a lot of the theatre stuff (the racing scene in particular was wonderful) but thematicly the staging of this wasn't consistent.

So - yes - there where many little things I liked but the bad outweighed the good.

I'm a bit harsh because I loved Joe Wright - loved Atonement (when I saw it a family walked out of the screen because of a close up of a type writer) and thought Pride and Prejudice was wonderfully realised, well shot, edited and paced.

The Soloist was a mess - I remember Downey Jr. putting on an Indiana Jones hat to visit skid row - and Hanna was less of a mess but it tried way to hard to be cool and do some Soderbergh and Paul Greengrass tricks without managing to infuse those tricks with energy.

Anna K settled it in my head that he's interesting filmmaker because he tries - but he's probably to pretentious to make a really good, properly emotional movie again.

I know this is mostly about Dredd and such things, but I went to see Brave the other day... And I can't understand why it got such middling reviews. I more than help up its side of the bargain of being a Pixar movie (Being; I throw my money at it and expect to be both entertained and moved) and the person to animated Merida in the pivotal scene of the third act should be tracked down and given everything s/she needs for the rest of his/her life, because that was the most emotional thing I've seen in any animation.

@DJ Stawes - agreed about Brick. It's a great film and JGL is excellent in it. I hope that Rian Johnson gets an opportunity to blow us away on something well financed but something small and set in the present.

@Magnalus - I too thought Brave held up its end of the bargain: I was both entertained and emotionally moved. I think perhaps my only problem with it was that it felt like such an old Disney movie that it didn't always feel like a Pixar film. Did your screening have the short film La Luna at the beginning? For me, strangely, that felt more like a Pixar piece than Brave did. However, you're right, it doesn't deserve a panning.

@TF - Joe Wright is indeed a pretender. I agree with you. For me, he always misses something. In Anna Karenina's case I thought he missed the emotional involvement. I loved the cinematography and I'll have to disagree with you about the editing because I thought that the music and the editing were beautifully, seamlessly done but you're definitely right about the thematic choosing of the 'in the theatre' scenes. The balance too. It didn't always make sense.

My film choice tonight will be Chaplin's The Immigrant because I haven't seen it in about 2 months and I always need a top-up of Chaplin. Any other Chaplin enthusiasts in Whitechapel?